To Eat A Pomegranate
by SydneyMayhem
Summary: The romance, the Tragedy, the comedy. The story of Persephone, Told from the goddess's point of view.
1. Chapter 1

I lived a blessed, uneventful childhood, only ever at my mother, Demeter's, side on Olympus; that is, until I came of age. Hermes, Ares, Apollo, and Hephaestus... they'd all showered me with gifts, as I grew to adulthood. Mother didn't like that, she never wanted to have me spoiled; I was hers, and hers alone. I never wanted it different. She hid me, and I lived a peaceful life, far away from the other deities, a goddess within Nature itself before the days of planting seeds and nurturing minding my own, picking flowers with the Nymphs, Leucippe and Oceanids, in a field in Enna, The Unseen One, Hades came to abduct me, bursting through a cleft in the earth, and pulled me to his Underworld, leaving the living one behind. Life came to a standstill as mother, goddess of the Earth, searched everywhere for her lost daughter. Helios, the sun, who sees everything, eventually told Demeter what had happened. Finally, Zeus, pressed by the cries of the hungry people and by the other deities who also heard their anguish, forced Hades to return me to the Living lands. However, it was a rule of the Fates that whoever consumed food or drink in the Underworld was doomed to spend eternity there. Before I was released to Hermes, who had been sent to retrieve me, Hades tricked me into eating pomegranate seeds,my favorite fruit, forcing me to return to the underworld for a season each year. When Mother and I were united, the Earth flourished with vegetation and color, but for some months each year, when I returned to the underworld, the earth once again became a barren realm... And whilst in the Underworld, I was reluctant to be the wife of Hades, Determined to remain only his bride.


	2. Chapter 2

The dark, nameless maids tugged and pulled at my hair, and the lacy gown I was being forced to wear; they smeared and meddled with my face, which had grown pale in the darkness of Hades' Underworld. I wasn't making the maids' jobs easy, resisting everything they tried, doing what I could to discourage them and make them abandon their task. Still, they persisted, and cajoled, cooed, and tried to calm me down enough to finish with their preparations. "Milady, you look the part of a dark queen; our Lord Hades shall be pleased..." "I don't want your Lord Hades to be pleased!" I snapped at them, pulling out of their grasps hastily, hoping to rush through the ceremony, only occuring for the performance... I passed a tall mirror and froze, glimpsing the woman in the reflection. She did look like a dark queen; her black hair piled on her head, the gown draped perfectly, elegantly along her frame, even the high-topped shoes with the bustling skirt of the gown... but there was something in her eyes, an angry Fire. This woman wasn't- couldn't be- me! Could she? I looked at the mirror a bit closer, then held up my chin proudly. "It's... it's so... wow. Me, but ... not me." I smiled slightly, then scowled to hide it, turning from the room before the maids could resume their fussing.

I stormed my way into Hades' - I refused to consider it My Home- great hall. Already there were the three Judges of the Living and the Dead, and the Fates. Some of Hades inner circle of souls, as well as his more trusted servants, and the very maids responsible for my appearance, were in attendance. All fell silent as I stood on the threshold. I scowled deeper, and quickly approached Hades, The Fates, and the Judges. The Judges Performed their boring speech of the ceremony, while I allowed my mind to wander freely, remembering mother, the sun, life. Then the Fates pulled me out of my reverie. "

I and my sister hold the Godly threads of the Lady Persephone-"

"-And the Lord Hades. Our sister shall now-"

"-I shall now bond their threads, and seal-"

The three talked together. " - Seal their vows for eternity." They bound the threads, and one of the Judges approached Hades with a fruit; one of my favorites mother once grew in her garden, a pomegranate. Hades split it in half, with barely any effort, and the third Sister took the fruit halves and handed us interlocking, jagged spoons. I turned to glare at Hades, but... the anger toward him dissapeared completely the moment I looked at him. Suddenly in a daze, I never realized he'd scooped a bite of the fruit's seeds into my mouth, until I was performing the same action to him.

Before I could register what had just happened, the maids had swept me out of the Great Hall and to a part of the Underworld Palace I'd not seen yet, then shoved me into a Bridal Suite. There was a table spread prepared for two, but I walked past it and to the window, the hot breeze from outside sweeping over me as I tried to remember what had just happened. A Wedding? It was unlike any traditional wedding that the mortals performed, and I rather doubted it was like a normal Olympian wedding too. Perhaps it was only customary for Hades' followers to perform, or even unique? And what had I felt for Hades in the Great Hall that I had never felt for him, or any of the other Suiters after my hand, before? The door behind me shut gently, and I turned quickly from the window to see Him.

I opened my mouth to pop off something smart, but he put a Finger to his lips, silencing me. "You're radiant." His eyes seemed to penetrate me to the core, and he pulled out a chair at the table and waited. Hesitating for a fraction of a second, I slowly walked over and sat down. He sat beside me, and we ate in complete silence. The wine warmed me, and the food helped me relax. Before long, I would catch myself glancing at him, and seeing his smile, I'd realize I was smiling too, and I'd turn quickly. What had come over me? He stood, and placed his hands on my shoulders. "We are now bound by The Fates... though for the bond to be complete, it must be consummated." I nodded, giving in, no longer resisting, and took his hand. We both entered the Bedchamber...


End file.
